And he realises the commitment required, having seen at close hand the demands Mattie had to meet in order to reach the heights that earned him an All-Star award last November.

The younger sibling is beginning to make an impact, with outstanding midfield displays in the Dr McKenna Cup, the latest of which earned him the man of the match award after the Red Hands came from nine points down to defeat Derry on Sunday.

"I did have a fair idea, seeing what he had to do and the work he had to do, but I still have a lot of work myself to do," he said.

Tyrone have one foot in the semi-finals of the McKenna Cup, a competition they have won in each of the last four seasons.

But they need to beat Antrim tomorrow evening to be absolutely certain of progressing to the last four.